Food - DH made some light meals for the first day. We also had lots of people offer to bring food, but even if they hadn't, we would've survived. Besides, anything is better than the awful hospital food I had w/ #1!

Family - No real advice because, although our families were skeptical, they were not intrusive or downright oppositional. Now (after 2 HBs) they're all sold on the idea!

What will you need to get? - Your MW will either give you a list of the supplies she'd like you to procure, or she'll tell you where to find a birth supply kit.

Best parts - EVERYTHING! Honestly, I think the best part is that birth once again becomes the safe, intimate, peaceful, sacred event that it's supposed to be. No strangers in the room, total control over what happens/doesn't happen to you and your baby, a care provider who trusts birth (doesn't sit there waiting for it to go wrong) but is mindful enough to identify/mitigate any complication before it becomes serious. Also hugely important to me is that MWs are respectful of the baby and his/her POV of the whole birth experience. I NEVER found that in the hospital. Everyone was more concerned about efficiency and protocol than being respectful and gentle with my baby. If you want to see what my experiences were like, there's a link to DD#2's birth in my siggy and my DS's birthstory w/ pics is here.

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Not to Hijack or anything but is Homebirth possible with GBS ??

YES!!!!!!! It is very possible! Women do it all the time. It's safe, considering special precautions are taken and you have a care provider who's observant and careful. Many MWs will suggest a regimen of probiotics and garlic during the pregnancy. After a few weeks of that regimen, you could choose to get re-tested before the delivery and you'll probably find that you're GBS neg. You can also do a hibicleanse (sp?) vaginal wash during labor, which prevents the baby from contracting GBS as s/he passes through the birth canal. It's done every 4 hrs and the success rate of this method is the same as IV abx.s. Most European countries use the hibicleanse and have the same GBS-related infant morbidity and mortality statistics that we do with abx.s, but WITHOUT the harmful effects and PITA component of that darn IV.

ETA: If you're GBS+ w/ ruptured membranes, there will probably be a certain length of time that your MW is comfortable allowing you labor before suggesting transport to the hospital. This is because the risk of infection to the baby does increase w/ prolonged rupture of membranes. Every MW has a different length of time that she's comfortable allowing a GBS+ mom to labor w/ ruptured membranes. Also, the MW will most likely stick around for quite a while after the birth to monitor the baby and keep an eye out for any early signs of GBS infection. They have a very trained eye and would recommend taking baby in to the hospital for treatment before the situation gets serious.

OP ~ Huge congrats on your decision to HB. ...Wishing you a wonderful pregnancy and birth!!!